Major Project - Working w/ Team BRIT at Silverstone Circuit + Interviewing Bobby Trundley

Spending A Day at Silverstone Circuit w/ Disabled Racing Team - Team BRIT


As part of our effort to expand the scope of our 'DreamChaser' documentary following the support we received from Kickstarter backers and Alex's audience, we decided to head up to Silverstone and spend a day with disabled racing team 'Team BRIT', an organisation that helps and allows racers with both physical and mental handicaps to continue to compete within motorsport. This is achieved through a variety of complex modifications to their vehicles which allow people with even prosthetic limbs to compete at a professional level. Upon learning of 'Team BRIT' and what they were all about, I was immediately intrigued to see the extent to which the cars were modified, as well as the mindset of those competing, and the stories they had to tell. We believe that by interviewing an autistic driver by the name of Bobby Trundley, we'll be able to ascertain how he has been able to set aside and overcome his own personal issues in order to be able to compete and follow his own dreams; we were hoping that by talking to members of 'Team BRIT' Alex would be able to gain some inspiration and insight into what it's like to have dire hurdles between yourself and what you want to accomplish.

Upon arriving at Silverstone we immediately headed into the main pitlane area and were able to sign on as media, with Trackside access. This gave us a great opportunity to walk the length of the main track, capturing footage of the cars out there for the track day, including those belonging to 'Team BRIT'. When we first got there, after having greeted Bobby and the team, it was important for us to establish where and how we were going to conduct the interview with Bobby. We decided to to use a 3 camera set-up for this interview consisting of the Sony AX53 on a tripod capturing a W.S. (Wide Shot) of Alex L.O.F. (Left of Frame) & Bobby R.O.F. (Right of Frame), myself capturing a C.U. (Close Up) of Bobby from a low angle and George capturing a C.U. of Alex from a similarly low angle. This will be intercut together along with both of their clip-mic audios, using the same 3.5mm iPhone Voice Notes setup detailed in previous blog entries. As for the mise-en-scene we wanted to highlight the 'Team BRIT' name in the shot somehow, so we decided to setup the interview in-front of a 'Team BRIT' branded racing vehicle they had in the garage that we were in.

The interview went well and Bobby was incredibly down to earth and easy to get on with, same goes for the rest of the team that we had the opportunity to speak to. Lucy, who George had coordinated with over email in advance, was very welcoming when we arrived and was more than happy to suggest people that we could interview and introduce us to various members of the team. Furthermore, Alex was able to get a chance to have a go on the £80,000 simulation-machine they had setup in the same garage, comprising of 3 large 55" screens and a steering wheel/pedal rig powered by motorised hydraulics, it was a great opportunity to get some impressive looking footage of Alex experimenting with this sort of professional training gear that high-level drivers often rely on in the lead up to important events.

Following the interview we were able to head out and start walking the track, an experience that I found quite enjoyable in large part thanks to the beautiful weather we had during the day. There were a variety of different types of cars out on track today, however the 'Team BRIT' car was our focus in terms of capturing footage around the track. Me, Alex & George walked around the first quarter or so of the track at which point George suggested that he head back to the pitlanes with a walkie talkie so that he could coordinate with us and inform us when team members where heading out of the pitlanes. Some of the footage we were able to get will be very useful and I am happy with the variety of shots and track locations we were able to cover, if there were any cause for concern from the day as a whole I would say it would be the distance at certain points of the track as it made being able to zoom in far enough for some of the shots we wanted somewhat problematic, however we're still satisfied with the footage we were able to get.


I thoroughly enjoyed today's experience and am happy with the amount of coverage we were able to achieve, as well as the overall sense of friendliness that I was treated to by 'Team BRIT'. We were sure to thank them for their hospitality today before we got on the road in the evening and will be providing them with a copy of the final documentary as compensation.

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